924Board.org

[mhariush]

I have a 78 924 that I have had since 2016. It's in pretty good shape, but some cosmetic here and there from age. It has 48k miles, and those are original miles. It has almost everything stock, including the rear hatch struts with 77 date stamp and stickers on them!
It was last registered in 1999 before the person I purchased it from bought it in 2016, he only had it for a few months before letting it go. The last service record I have is from 98 showing 43 or 45k miles. Most of the miles were put on in the first few years, then it appears to have been parked and only driven occasionally.

I have records going back to the day it rolled off the lot, including the car loan agreement from the first owner, window sticker and lots of records from over the years of the original ownership.

Now I'm kind of torn of what to restore and what not to... I will keep it for a bit, but I have several cars and can't keep them all.

What are the values these days for a 78 924? Black over black. Great condition, runs great, but has some flaws, faded carpets, road rash chips in the paint on the nose etc all the usual stuff from being an actual driver.

Should I replace and restore everything that I can? Or better leave it original for the next owner? It's only original once... It would be very easy to make it pretty as is, and very easy to do a nice restoration, new carpets, new dash (since they make new ones now) refinish wheels, touch up or even repaint in single stage etc etc.

It also has dealer installed AC by "cooler" i think it was called. But it appears to not work at the moment.
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78 924, 87 944S, 89 944 Turbo, 08 Cayenne

[Beartooth]

Interesting, you're kind of in the opposite position as I am... I've got a 931 (924 turbo), part of the introductory run, and one of the more desirable 924s. When I got it, I had visions of more of a stripped rat rod - maybe doing a loud and proud respray over the original silver color. Now that I know what it is, I'm leaning more toward keeping it as original as possible.

In your case, I'd say what you've got isn't the best candidate to dump a bunch of money into an all-original restoration, but definitely a case where you'd get something back if you invest a little time and money. I can't put a number on it, but with 911 prices being through the moon, lower-tier Porsches that were once throw-aways and not worth much more (sometimes less than) more mass-market sports cars are suddenly not dirt cheap anymore.

Unfortunately, I don't think it's far enough, even on the likes of the 931, that you can spend money on every bit that catches your attention and be confident of getting it back or making money on a resale. Based on your description, it doesn't sound like a car that needs a lot to be made presentable (sadly, that's about where I am). Given that, if it were me, I'd get it mechanically sound first, then replace or repair anything that's too big an eye-sore for you. Based on what I'm hearing, I'd think you'll get the most out of the car if you get it going and drive it a bit before you go any further. If you fall in love with it, then it'll be worth it to put some money in it, whether you can make it back or not. If you don't, then to my mind, it makes the most economic sense to stop once you have it running and driving reasonably well; that'll raise the value the most relative to the money invested. I don't see the value for basic 924s being high enough to come out ahead by investing in a major restoration, at least not if you factor in the value of the labor invested and not just counting parts cost.
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1980 931 diamond in the rough

[mhariush]

yeah, won't take much to get it pretty good, but there's always something else I could do...

My initial thought was to just to replace shocks, fix the little pain imperfections, clean carpet, fix all the little things that are loose or needs sorting out and just have a really original clean car to drive around. It's a lot of fun to drive.

I tested the waters in terms of people being interested, same with my 89 Turbo, but it's a weird market. People either want a full on restored show car, or they want a really good deal. Which they could have had, years ago, but less and less now.

So it's a strange in-between.

I had two 931's that I wanted to fix up, but they were BIG projects. So parted one and sold the other to someone who said he wanted a project.
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78 924, 87 944S, 89 944 Turbo, 08 Cayenne

[Beartooth]

It's interesting that you're finding so little demand between people looking for a bargain and those who want something like-new. The sense I was getting for a while was that original, but well-presented cars were where the market was going - that some (and sometimes a lot) of patina was all the rage. It's probably just finding the right buyer - there are always people looking for a bargain either to flip or as an off-beat project, and a really nice original or full resto has a more defined value, so collectors are more willing to pay a fair price. The buyer looking for a solid car to enjoy and maybe tinker with, and willing to pay what it's worth, will be fewer and farther between, but it should just be a matter of time. I don't get where people think if it's not a classic Mustang/Charger/Camaro or Italian exotic or 911, you're an idiot for asking more than you would for an old Honda, but I think more are starting to realize that the supply of older sports cars that haven't been beat, crashed, or hacked to death is pretty low anymore.
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1980 931 diamond in the rough

[mhariush]

What's the general thought amongs you guys here? What "should" these cars be worth and what would you pay? Is Hagerty a good indicator? I still think these and the 944's are undervalued still...
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78 924, 87 944S, 89 944 Turbo, 08 Cayenne

[Mclaren924]